Today, a federal judge is expected to rule on whether providers must begin complying with a Nebraska law (LB 594) that would require women seeking abortions to undergo extensive physical and mental health screenings, the Omaha World-Herald reports. The law -- scheduled to take effect Thursday -- is being challenged by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which argues that the requirements are impossible to meet. The group is asking U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp to issue an order to stop the law from taking effect (Stoddard, Omaha World-Herald, 7/13).

The law would require abortion providers to screen women for risk factors indicating any mental or physical issues that could occur after the procedure. The law states that the risks could be any "physical, psychological, emotional, demographic or situational" cited in peer-reviewed medical journals indexed by two major medical and scientific listing services. Women also would be screened to determine whether they were pressured into having an abortion (Jenkins, AP/Lincoln Journal Star, 7/13).

A U.S. District judge has agreed with Planned Parenthood of the Heartland that a new Nebraska law, which calls for mental screening of women seeking abortions, should be placed on hold until it can be further evaluated.

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